State officials believe elevated concentrations of GenX found at a water treatment facility along the Cape Fear River can be attributed to an Oct. 6 spill from a manufacturing line at Chemours’ facility in Fayetteville, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality announced today. In addition, state officials directed Chemours to provide bottled water to 34 more well owners based on results from the latest round of private well testing.

Concentrations of GenX at Chemours’ wastewater discharge outfall in Fayetteville exceeded the state’s provisional drinking water health goal in late October and early November, according to preliminary water quality data the state Department of Environmental Quality received from the company this week. DEQ is investigating the cause of the spike and has demanded answers from Chemours, which is supposed to be capturing GenX rather than releasing it into the Cape Fear River.

Since 1997, the North Carolina Brownfields Program has been turning contaminated properties into viable, successful businesses and community areas. The program, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, works with prospective developers who did not cause or contribute to contamination of an abandoned or unused property they wish to redevelop. A brownfields agreement limits the liability of a prospective developer so the developer can remove or reduce contamination on the property so it can be reused safely.

State environmental officials today recognized the long-lasting achievements of the state’s Dry-Cleaning Solvent Cleanup Act (DSCA) Program, which has been cleaning up historical contamination and preventing future releases for the past 20 years.

The state Department of Environmental Quality is investigating reports of an air emissions leak at Chemours’ Fayetteville facility and whether the leak constitutes a violation of the company’s air permit.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality announced today it is moving to revoke Chemours’ permit to discharge process wastewater because the company failed to comply with its permit and failed to report an October spill.